Sunday, February 09, 2014

The Loops of Life, in the studio

OK, so say I am restarting slow. one post a month is better than one a year...right?

January...ohhhhh January. It was a really rough month for my household. I have my Birthday on the first day of the year and am all ready to start fresh and have a great year, and then something hits, then something else hits...and again...again....I think that is what makes Capricorns resilient. They have no choice, but to be resilient. Get knocked down, get back up, then another wave hits you....But ya know? I am getting older and wiser, and learning to play this game, finally at the ripe old age of 45. I have not quit yet, instead, I am getting tougher. I mean TOUGHER. I have FINALLY learned, for the most part....excluding a couple key days a month (and even those days are not quite as bad as they used to be) to just roll with it. Roll with the Changes. Love that song...Go with the flow...all that.

So, I have had this booth space, that I prefer to call my boutique. It is at a WONDERFUL place called The Shoppes at Brownstone Village. And lately, my sales there have been a bit low. I think it is, well no, I know it is because I make everything I sell.

And lets face it, that is no easy task. I sell custom orders online, and then I also, have to keep inventory in a boutique. Its my DREAM to be a successful shop/boutique/gallery owner...LOL...I have this urge, the silent, loud to me PUSH in my heart and in my head to keep going and make it happen.

Every now and then, I need to come back to center. I end up making and painting on everything requested, no matter how specialized it is, and the overflow and samples, I take to my booth space. What happens tho, is it looks like overflow and samples and all one of a kind merchandise. Which in and of itself, is not a totally BAD thing. But it can be exhausting. So exhausting in fact that, I end up not knowing what to do and I end up paralyzed with thought and no action. No action means, no inventory, no new inventory means...no new sales and it spirals out of control.

So, in order to come back to center, I begin talking to friends and family. brainstorming ideas. and more confusion. LOL oops...still paralyzed.
I then realized I need the big guns. I contact the manager of the Brownstone, and tell her whats going on and she says, lets talk to Taylor. (the OWNER EXTRAORDINAIRE)
I got to talk with Taylor. Which, I get to talk with her all the time, but not like take up an hour of her busy schedule talk to her about new ideas kind of talk to her. This woman is idea central. She is amazing. no, she is AMAZING with bells...yeah, like RING A LING A LING AAMMAAZZIINNGG!! lol

She asks me, "what's your favorite thing to paint?"
Me, "Ummmmm?"
Again, she says..."whats your favorite thing to paint?"
Me, "Ummmm, probably the big furniture. The kind of furniture I can paint wild and crazy, unexpected designs on that throw people for a loop, they have to have it, kind of furniture."

Then she asks, "What's your biggest spread?"
Me, "Ummmmmm??????"

(apparently, thats a term about money of which I did not know until this meeting) LOL

Then she asks me, "what takes the least amount of time, least amount of supplies, yet makes the most money?"

I still didn't know the answer to that one and by this point am thinking, maybe that's where business school would have come in handy?

Anyway....the conclusion of this meeting was very interesting and certainly through me for a loop.
Simplify my designs, make things from things I already have, and lets go with trendier pieces that is all the rage at the moment.

Things that make you go Hmmmmm? The loop de loop of life in an art studio. Sometimes, I get so hung up in being creative, that I forget that I am ALSO trying to make a living.
So, here we go, restructuring my unstructured life for the sake of making the almighty dollar.

I will be showing off here some of the products of the conclusions I came to. Hopefully, before March!
Here is a SnEeK pEeK of what is to come....

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About Me

I work from home as a free lance artist and designer of painted TOMS, Chucks, Vans, denim clothing and lots of other stuff like furniture, murals, vintage cases, and many more items too much to name....I am a lover of animals, especially my dogs.
I am happily married to Mateo and have three AWESOME boys, Zac-23, Tuc-21, and Tiger-13. Life is great!